Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that Assam will "automatically be included" in Bangladesh if the number population of Bangaldeshis living in the northeastern state increased by another 10 per cent.
While speaking to reporters after an official event Chabua, the Chief Minister that he has been raising this issue over the past five years.
“In Assam, 40 per cent of the population is of Bangladeshi origin. If this rises by another 10 per cent, we will automatically be included. This is why I have been raising my voice about this issue for the past five years,” Sarma said while responding to questions on recent comments made by a political leader in Bangladesh.
Sarma’s remarks came following a controversial statement earlier this month by Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of Bangladesh’s newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP). Abdullah reportedly said that Dhaka should “isolate” India’s northeastern states and support separatist groups in the region if New Delhi tried to destabilize Bangladesh.
The NCP leader also claimed that the northeastern states are geographically “vulnerable” because of their reliance on the narrow Siliguri Corridor, also known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, which links the region to the rest of India.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly expressed concerns that demographic changes driven by illegal immigration could threaten national security, local identity, and political stability in the Northeast. He has stressed the importance of strict measures to safeguard the state’s territorial and constitutional integrity.